by Max Monroe
Holley chats with the woman in the red dress, her whole head bobbing animatedly in agreement with something she’s saying. I know Holley pretty well, though, and the wide, panicked set of her eyes tells me she’s not actually hearing much of anything the woman has to say.
I wait for her to make her way around the woman and into the main area of the party, but when she gets stopped again by a woman I know to be her editor, Gloria, from our earlier introduction, I make a decision.
There’s no fucking way I’m sitting in this room and watching like a voyeur for another minute.
I don’t wait for the planned introduction to the party guests; I don’t wait at all.
Determined, I stride out into the main room. People recognize me, that much is clear, but I only have eyes for Holley and Chloe.
Chloe spots me on my approach first, smiling widely and giving me a thumbs-up in support.
I vaguely notice some of the other women I went on dates with trying to catch my attention, but I don’t return the gestures.
Holley looks up just as I step closer to her, and with her looking the way she does tonight, I have absolutely no other choice. I have to feel her body against mine, the heat of my flesh on hers. It’s instinctual, basic—I’ve missed it so fucking much.
Her eyes widen, startled by the fact that I’m not slowing down at all, but I don’t stop to explain. Just like the night she opened her door and her body to the possibility of something with me, I take her face in mine and put my lips to hers.
Ever reliable, she gasps, and I don’t waste the opportunity.
My tongue sweeps inside her mouth as a low rumble starts up around us with the unexpected excitement of a total party shakeup. It takes a few long seconds in time, but when Holley’s arms come up to wrap around my neck as she kisses me back, everything I never knew I needed comes crashing down on top of me, filling me with hope and love and the kind of happiness only Chloe seemed to understand I needed.
Speaking of Chloe, she whoops beside us, letting out a cheer and a whistle.
I smile against Holley’s mouth, and without hesitation, she returns the gesture.
Pulling back just enough to look her in the eyes, I’m rewarded with the jade light I thought I’d have to fight and plead for—the look of a woman ready to take the leap with me.
It’s wholly unexpected, but goddamn, it’s so welcome. At forty years old, I’ve already had more than enough drama to last a lifetime.
“I thought I was going to have to convince you,” I whisper softly, pushing gentle fingers into the fringe of her perfectly curled hair.
We’re still close, but not enough that I can’t see when she smiles, her nose wiggling slightly as she pulls her lips into her mouth and shakes her head. “I know. That’s normally my thing, huh?”
I nod, leaning my forehead into hers as she laughs lightly. “I’ve definitely had to talk you into things a time or two.”
“I finally listened to what you were saying, let go, and got with the program more quickly this time. After all, you always convince me eventually anyway, right?”
I nod again. “Always.” And especially this time. I’m pretty sure I would have stopped at nothing to show her how right we are together.
“Plus,” she adds like it’s an afterthought. “I love you, so…” She shrugs and then giggles, and my chest swells to three times its normal size. Holy shit. Hearing those words from her—given freely and without hesitation—is, without a doubt, one of the best moments of my life. I reach forward and lift her into my arms, hug her to my chest, and spin her around.
She laughs at my over-the-top gesture, understanding it for what it is—reciprocation. Still, with something this important, there’s not even a slight chance in hell I’m going to leave even a sliver of doubt.
I set her on her feet, pull her back with my hands at her hips and look right into her jade-green eyes.
“I love you too, you know.”
She nods, her lips twisting with emotion as she works to fight back tears. She knows. Looking back at everything that’s happened between us, I have to imagine it’d be hard not to. Truth be told, there’s no way either one of us could doubt it if we’re honest with ourselves.
Even with the other women coming and going, it’s always been about Holley. And for her, no matter the lines she wasn’t supposed to cross, it’s always been about me. Two people as right for each other as we are, always find a way through the chaos to one another.
When the fog of our moment evaporates, courtesy of a cleared throat from her father, we look up to find everyone in the room staring at us.
Eyes blink, cameras flash, and a whispered roar rolls through the crowd as people start discussing the events of our reunion among themselves. It’s quite the intense experience. I grab Holley’s hand, expecting her to shrink a little under the scrutiny, and her dad and Chloe close ranks. Intended or not, it seems we’ve formed our own little fortress—an impenetrable family unit. Its strength is unmistakable, and if Holley shrinks at all, it’s only because she’s leaned farther into me.
“I guess I can strike a vibrator off the Christmas list then, huh?” her dad remarks, startling us all with his overzealous candor.
“Dad!” Holley snaps, embarrassment hitting her like a whip. Me, though—I’m bemused beyond belief.
I glance to Holley’s father with a huge smile on my face, and I awkwardly whisper into the room while everyone looks on. “You must be Holley’s father. It’s nice to meet you, sir.”
“Pleasantries later, son,” he says without blinking. “Time now to deal with the angry mob.”
Gloria is the first to break the invisible barrier force field we have going, stomping over to Chloe and me with quick feet. She lowers her voice to a whisper, but I’m not sure it does any good. The room has gone so silent again, you could hear a pin drop.
“What the hell is going on, Holley?”
Holley clears her throat, but instead of answering her editor directly, she apologizes with an, “I’m sorry, Gloria,” and steps forward, pulling me with her thanks to the clamp of my hand, to address the room. I would have expected her to take some sort of a baby step—explain to her editor first—but I guess when you have this kind of interaction in the middle of a crowd, you have to expect a time of reckoning will eventually come home to roost.
Voice loud enough for everyone to hear, Holley does her best to make amends for the confusion. “I…I want to, first, apologize for bringing everyone here under…well, as it turns out, false pretenses. It wasn’t on purpose, and it wasn’t planned, but…Bachelor Anonymous won’t be choosing a bachelorette tonight. In fact, he won’t be choosing a bachelorette at all. I’m so sorry—”
Surprisingly, it’s Rachel, my four-wheeling, clean-eating date, who speaks up first, cutting into Holley’s speech to disagree. “It looks like he picked one to me.”
All four other women chime in in agreement, and the rest of the room goes silent once again.
“Me too.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Same.”
“Looks obvious.”
“I’m…” Holley swallows hard, walking toward the women to address them directly. I think, out of everyone here, she feels the most remorse toward the five of them. “I’m so sorry for doing this to you guys. You have to know I had absolutely no intention of… I would never dream of purposely dragging you along through a pointless contest. I…I didn’t recognize my own feelings, and for the position that’s put you in, I’m sorry.”
Bianca, Lucy, Elle, Rachel, and Lydia all consider Holley closely, but I’m surprised when Elle turns to me. “And you feel the same about her?”
I nod apologetically. “I’m truly sorry for wasting any of your time. That wasn’t my intention at all.”
It’s tense for about ten seconds while Holley and I stand there, the weight of an entire roomful of people’s eyes threatening to crush us, but as always, I can count on Chloe to have my back. And as it turns out, Holley c
an count on her to have hers, too.
She starts to applaud, and before I even know what’s happening, everyone has joined in. Even the women in front of us. In fact, Rachel’s lips even turn up into a smile. “I can’t believe the two of you didn’t realize.” She laughs. “Truth is, it was clear as day to me.”
“Me too,” Lydia agrees. “As soon as I walked up, I could tell there was something between them.”
Elle shrugs. “No big deal. We only went on one date, anyway.”
Bianca smiles, but when I take a closer look, I see it’s because she has her phone out, taking a selfie.
It’s not a big crowd, just the employees and the core group of people involved in the contest, but before we know it, everyone is back to chatting like none of our little exposé ever happened. It feels like a relief to know it’s not going to end in complete catastrophe.
Chloe laughs as she sidles up to us, offering up, “So, do I need to write another ad? Single dad seeks different Juliet?” as a kind of mocking question.
Problem is, it doesn’t seem so ridiculous anymore.
“No,” I say with a smile. “He found her.”
Holley
Single Dad Finds Juliet
As the Bachelor Anonymous contest at SoCal Tribune comes to a close, the staff and contestants alike have been left reeling—me included.
That’s right, folks. Our first run at a social experiment, where a bachelor is selected based on a single personal ad and farmed out on several dates with the best of candidates, is a success. Bachelor Anonymous found love!—on unplanned date #6.
I know you weren’t expecting another contestant in Bachelor Anonymous’s journey, but the truth is, in order to take a detailed look at his time with her, we have to go back to the beginning.
To the day I met Jake Brent.
That’s right, me. The lead contributor to the Bachelor Anonymous contest and a longtime employee of the SoCal Tribune, Holley Fields. I hope you’ll all pause your jealousy long enough to congratulate me—because as it turns out, Jake Brent is the love of my life.
And I was the very last person to see it coming.
I toss this Sunday’s edition of the paper down on the table in front of me and look up into the eyes of the man I love. Jake is laughing at something Chloe says as he leans against the dessert case at Grey Street Coffee, but his eyes are on me.
He looks the best he’s ever looked—of course—and I know this time, it’s because I know he’s mine.
I pick up my coffee cup and take a sip while he and Chloe wait for our brownies, and I think about everything that’s changed for the better in the last week and a half.
For one, I’m not stuck in an office between Fritz and Gianna anymore, and I know for a fact that I won’t ever have to run another dating contest for the Tribune ever again. Some might view my move to beat reporter as a demotion, but to be honest, it feels like a victory. After getting out and chasing stories for the last week, I realize that’s what I should have been doing all along. The only person I won’t admit that to is Gloria—I’m pretty sure she’ll move me again if she doesn’t feel like I’m suffering some kind of punishment.
Still, at the end of the day, I’m happy, and that’s all that really matters.
In other news, I have a lot more senders of messages than my dad, and I never have time to feel alone. Jake and Chloe have my schedule of free time all booked up, and by God, it’s been fun.
Jake and Chloe finally make their way back from the counter, brownies in hand and smiles on their faces, so I scoot the discarded paper out of the way and move my phone so they can take their seats.
It’s only when Jake sits down across from me and pulls up his sleeve that I notice the fresh ink at the bottom of his tattoo sleeve.
“What’s that?” I ask, pushing his hand out of the way and tracing the new design.
It’s a doodled heart. One I recognize all too well. My heart picks up to the speed of a jackhammer, pounding in my chest.
“What?” Jake deflects, so obviously pretending not to know what I’m talking about, it’s obnoxious.
“That,” I say, reaching out to touch it with my finger.
“Oh,” he says, a smile settling onto his face and lighting up his eyes. “That’s for you. I had more to add to my story.”
I almost hyperventilate, but somehow, manage to keep it together enough to speak. “It’s just like the one from the paper.”
He nods, a teasing light coming into his eyes as I take a sip of coffee. “It should be. I had your dog do it.”
I sputter and spew coffee everywhere.
Jesus. He remembers. He remembers me making a fool of myself that very first day, all the way down to the insane excuse I gave for the doodle around his ad. “My dog did that.”
Chloe shakes her head like we’re crazy, but I lean across the table and touch my lips to his.
Yep. Never been happier.
Four weeks later…
Holley
Cheryl smiles at me as she walks into the examining room, dons a pair of gloves, and dips a test strip into my cup of pee.
I shake nervously as I see her lay the strip on the side of sink and watch as it develops. It’s been about six weeks since Jake and I slept together the first time and about five since I realized I could be pregnant, and it has been the longest time of my life. Mostly because I’ve been carrying the possibility around like a secret, waiting to get real confirmation before bringing Jake into the loop. Chloe, though, having been there for my initial breakdown, has been silently supportive and celebratory ever since.
I’ve managed to talk myself into being happy with either result, but the truth is, I’ve kind of gotten attached to the possibility of growing our family a little. Because that’s what Jake and Chloe are to me—my family.
Cheryl freezes as the test strip develops, and everything inside me shatters into a million happy pieces. Her smile is huge as she turns to face me and holds the strip up in explanation.
“I guess you changed your minds?” she asks, obviously remembering my last appointment when Jake put on a whole pretend show for the office staff and told them we were together.
Now, though, it’s no longer pretend.
Thank everything for that.
I smile. “I guess we did.”
The truth is, I can’t believe how far we’ve come in such a short time. But more than that, I can’t believe how believable it feels. Right. Like the best thing that’s ever happened to me by a long shot.
“Have you told Jake yet?”
I smile and laugh at the fact that she remembers our previous interaction well enough to remember his name, and I shake my head. I guess he just leaves that kind of impression on people. Hell, I couldn’t have forgotten anything about him after the first time I met him if I tried.
“I thought I’d do that now.”
“Is he here with you?” she asks excitedly, and I smile.
“I told him I thought I had a UTI.”
She smiles hugely, then, apparently thrilled with my deception. I’ll have to tell Jake when all of this is over. Maybe he can recruit her for the KGB. “Please tell me I can go get him?”
I nod, and she shoots out of the room before any other words can be exchanged. I move my hands to the table under my butt and sit on them.
It’s the only option, really, with my nerves running this rampant. I’m jumpy and awkward still—that hasn’t changed. And I don’t need to be waving my arms around, get out of control, and end up knocking myself off the table.
There’s a knock on the door, and I suck in a huge breath to try to calm myself down. Cheryl must be back with Jake. I have to admit, though, it’s really more nervous excitement than anything. Jake Brent has a way of making me know he’ll be okay with any surprise I throw his way—even this.
“Come in,” I call, my voice shaking noticeably.
Jake’s face is immediately drawn as he steps into the room and gets a look at me, and it’s all I ca
n do to keep myself from crawling out of my skin.
Cheryl backs out of the room slowly, but I really wouldn’t be surprised if she and the other gals are leaned up against the other side with a glass to their ear.
“What is it, Holl? You’re scaring me.”
I smile and shake my head. “I don’t believe you. Jake from the Ocean isn’t scared of anything.”
“I’m scared of losing you.”
“Losing me? Ha. You’re stuck with me forever, buddy.” I grin and lean forward, and right there, against his lips, ask, “Are you scared of having another baby?”
He freezes for the briefest of moments before jerking back to look me in the eye. “Really?”
I nod. “I’m pregnant, Jake.”
“Holley,” he says softly, his heart swirling in the Caribbean pools of his eyes. There’s happiness and hope and the most beautiful display of unconditional love. Yeah, single dads really are the jackpot.
He grabs his phone and scrolls through the music. It’s surprising, given the circumstances, since he’s yet to actually react with words of affirmation or excitement, but when the song starts, it’s not surprising anymore. Just as he intended, the choice says it all.
“Even the nights are better,” I say, and he nods.
“Air Supply.”
“My God,” I say with a laugh. “Chloe already thinks we’re old. What’s this baby going to think, us playing 80s music to celebrate the news of its conception?”
“Who cares,” he replies. “We’re going to love them, and each other, enough that it doesn’t matter.”
Swoon.
I don’t know what I did to deserve this man, but hell’s bells, I’m never letting him go.
Three months later…
Jake
“I was concerned about your empty nest, Daddio, but I didn’t think you’d go quite this far to fill it,” Chloe says with a wink.
“I guess I’m just extra,” I tease, making her howl with laughter.
“Well, well. You’re finally caving, huh? Learning some of my kind of English after all.”